A Saturday Night in San Fran

Phil, the amazing tour guide, taught me lots of useful knowledge about San Francisco and the Bay Area. For example, did you know there are sharks in the Bay? Or did you know that the country's smallest bar is located in San Francisco? My favorite piece of trivia was that San Francisco is the birthplace of the martini. Really, not New York City, but San Francisco! According to Phil, years ago a man living in Martinez (a community across the Bay) worked in San Francisco. He took the ferry to work every day but he hated the trip. One day he went into the bar and asked the bartender to make him something to get him across the Bay. The bartender made him the very first gin martini!

With a great story like that, I just had to enjoy a martini in its birthplace. Phil took me to Chinatown again, right before the parade to have a drink. He decided we should have lychee martinis, which were strong but delicious.

While in the bar, many people came in shouting "Gong hay fat choy!" (For those of you who don't speak Chinese, that means "Happy New Year!") They also gave out key chains and poppers -- the tiny firecrackers that you throw on the ground to pop. I enjoyed throwing those on the ground while walking down the street and watching the parade.


The New Years Parade was amazing. Dragons, oxen (2009 is the year of the ox), bands, people in beautiful costumes and children filled the street. I especially loved all the children and the dragons, which would explain why the photo to the right depicts one of my favorite acts: the adorable little children walking the beautiful yellow dragon down the street.


After the parade, Phil and I walked to dinner. We went to a little sushi restaurant that is more of a locals hangout than a tourist destination. We decided to sit at the sushi bar (as Phil put it, "You have a table at home. Do you have a sushi bar with a sushi chef at home?"). I enjoy watching the sushi chefs create the rolls. Sushi not only tastes delicious, but every roll is a work of art. Everything was delicious (a theme in San Francisco). I especially enjoyed the tuna (it melted in your mouth) and the 49ers roll (salmon with thinly sliced lemon on top). Just thinking about the meal makes my mouth water.


With my sushi appetite satisfied, I was ready to attend my first San Francisco party. Phil told me that theme parties are big and people go all out. That night we attended "Don & Betty Draper's Birthday Party," a theme right out of the early 60's and based on the movie Mad Men.


It didn't take me long to see that Phil wasn't kidding when he said people go all out at San Francisco theme parties. The costumes were amazing and even the apartment was decorated for the theme. I loved the dresses the women wore and the classy suits on the men. In California fashion, the hosts served imitation cigarettes, which are quite fun to puff. My favorite part was the photo slideshow from Mad Men playing on the TV, while normal party music from this decade played on the stereo.

Phil was the only familiar face at the party but everyone was so friendly, I quickly befriended many of the other partygoers. I enjoyed the company and the conversations. Overall, a wonderful night. I had mixed feelings: I couldn't wait for the next day in San Francisco but at the same time, I didn't want my trip to end. I fell asleep that night feeling conflicted, but very happy.